Victorious
by Checkered Candles
Summary: I was a beater. I was supposed to go solo, and I was used to resentment. Yet, somehow along the way I kept meeting these people who didn't seem to care.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! I tiz otakulollies but you can call my Lolly-chan~! Or not...This is my first story, so be gentle, please! haha. As you know, I don't own Sword Art Online. BUT I SOOOO TOTALLY LOVE IT SOOOOO MUCH IT AIN'T FUNNY! O/O it's just...so perfect! Asirito forevah! Haha. Well, this is pretty much my collection of side stories that happened in SAO. Not actually, since it's...fanfiction...um...and I apologize if some of the monsters etc aren't correct, I'll try to make it accurate, but since there's not a lot of info i made some up too and... ok I'll just shut up now. ;) tehee!**

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Chapter One

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"HAAAAH!" I screamed and tilted my sword to deliver a slant blow through 6 wolves' heads. I then followed with an uppercut to the remaining wolf on my left. I kept stabbing and stabbing and stabbing even though I knew it would've disappeared and drifted away in thousands of polygons if I left it alone. I gave a cry of frustration and anguish as I finally gave the data monster some mercy and let it dissipate. Those words still echoed through my mind.

_"He's a beta tester _and_ a cheater! He's a _beater_!"_

I stabbed my sword into the ground. Beater...They accused me for murdering Diabel. The accused me because I was a beta tester, because I didn't warn them in that split second of realization and death. And they were right to. I should've_ forced_that crystal potion down Diabel's throat, should've forced him to stay alive. Even though he was a beta tester as well, he was able to do what I couldn't possibly accomplish. I was a beater. I was selfish, I levelled up with my extra experience and survived only for myself. I fingered my "Midnight Cloak" and glared at nothing in particular.

"You reached level 27. Congratulations." The message appeared on my menu screen, but this time, I didn't feel the usual satisfaction of levelling up. After staring at my menu screen until the message faded away, I pulled out my sword from the ground and sheathed it, my expression returning back to normal. Why did I keep remembering that moment? It was levels ago. I shook my head and breathed; it didn't matter. Through the castle, I swear, I will beat this damn prison game. I moved silently through the forest, then the fields, to town. I thought about Asuna, that girl I partied with for a couple of days. It was strange, her gracefulness and beauty while fighting, and she was a beginner at that. As I was about the cross the river separating me from hunting fields and town, I heard a struggling grunt. A female training? This late at night? I crept towards the sound, and peered through the thick trunks and branches sticking out. The scene laid before me could only be explained with one word to me: unfair.

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There was a female player, equipped with a two handed broadsword, surrounded by "Turtle Skulls" and "Ivy Gnomes." She must've attracted a whole lot of monsters...Her eyes were slanted in a concentration mode, but her HP bar was already below the yellow zone. Should I help? I told myself I didn't, I should let her be. After all, I was a beater. I watched on a little longer, as she swung her sword horizontally in a sweeping motion then back the way it came, knocking out 3 of the monsters. However, 2 handed broadswords took a split second longer to rebalance, and in that moment, she was swiped off the ground by a "Turtle Skull" and smashed into a tree. She screamed and slid downwards, but quickly recovered and rolled out of the way of the Gnome that came charging in. I was impressed somewhat, but that blow against the tree knocked her health bar to the red. She deflected a snarling reach from a Gnome but the numbers closed in. Suddenly, I felt my hand reach for my sword as she got pummeled again and her health bar reached dangerously close to 0 points.

"Ahhhhhh!" I shouted and ran from the trees, positioning my sword into the "Sonic Leap." I charged and with a final rush of wind, gave a low slash through two Gnomes before quickly adjusting into a "Horizontal Square," a skill I recently started training. "Hah!" I delivered the final blow and knocked out two more. Glancing at the girl, I quickly yelled. "Get up and help me!" She looked up at me in shock, then slowly nodded and picked herself up. I narrowed my eyes and evaluated the scene. 9 more monsters to go. ⅔ of them were Gnomes. I moved my left foot back, leaned forwards, then took a heading start and leaped, then positioned my arm into the beginning of a "Vertical Square" and slashed four times through one before delivering a simple uppercut to finish off another that already took previous damage.

"SWITCH!" I yelled, delivering a stunning slant blow that blinded a turtle I was currently working on. The girl behind me gasped then reacted, sprinting to take over my place. I leaped backwards, and saw her deliver a tremendous blow that somewhat resembled a small "Avalanche." The monster fell, and she moved on to a Gnome. She charged and leaped, doing a flip in the air before bring her sword above her head, and from the high altitude, swung downwards with a battle grunt, resulting in what I believe was called a "Break Through." I wasn't familiar with two handed skills. As it dispersed into polygons, she slashed at another Gnome, doing a power filled over-swing, and knocked it off its feet. Plunging her blade in its "stomach," she deflected a turtle, which cause the it to stagger off balance.

"S-Switch!" She panted and I grinned at her, sprinting in her place. I quickly leaped above the turtle, then leaped again after using its head as a stepping stone. As it reached for me in the air with a long spiked arm, I twisted out of the way and slashed the arm in half. Then, flipping so I was falling upright, I landed on the turtle's neck and decapitated it. As it disappeared through tiny crystals, I laughed. I was actually having fun saving a girl from turtle and gnome monsters. I decided to get rid of the remaining "Turtle Skull" since it was more powerful than the "Ivy Gnomes." I dodged between the gnomes blocking me, rolled under one's legs, then reached my target. Delivering a plain upwards slash while avoiding its claws, I split its abdomen open. I bounded off its leg and while twisting, kicked the wound I already created. It gave a hideous roar and swiped at me, I narrowly dodged, but received a blow to my wielding arm. Damn. I quickly took out a throwing pick and shot it at the beast's eye, stalling until my arm recovered so I could arm myself with my sword again. Until then, I would have to repeatedly punch the wound I already created, arousing more guttery shrieks from the turtle. It spat at me, its acid spittle trickling down. I quickly wiped it off, then felt my arm return back to normal. Smirking, I quickly swung a huge slash that cut through the hip, stomach, and other hip socket, killing it.

"W-watch out!" I heard a cry.

**To be continued... :3**

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**So, how'd the first one go? I know I won't get many views since imma newb and SAO is quite new, but review please and tell me what you think! Also, i'm always up for suggestions or fan made character profiles! Ja nee,**

**Lolly-chan OUT! **

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** Also, fav or something like that please if you enjoyed this story so far! If you didn't, tell me how to make it better please!**

** Around this area is a button saying review. I advise you to press it :3**

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	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! I'm back! Thank you sooo much everyone who read and reviewed last time! I wrote my replies to the anonymous reviews at the bottom. :) well anyways, if u dont kno already (im positive u dont actually) i have a site called:** wishingpandas. webs. com** so please check it out or join if u want! dont forget to tell me what u think of this in a review! AND NOTE (PLEASE READ THIS PART AT LEAST) plz dont comment harshly on whether my chapters are long or short, i have already previously written a huge long story on another document, and am just posting it on this site, so i find it difficult to separate into chapters on this site...i know this is no excuse for my lack of...chappy-ness, but please bear with it. if u get rlly pissed for some reason, u can cuss me out. just only do it for a good reason cuz Lolly-chan here doesnt like pointless cursing. Thank you and i hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Two

I turned, then gasped and quickly cartwheeled backwards, just as a gnome charged through and bared its pointy teeth at me. I stuck out my tongue and chopped the bottom of his head off, as punishment for showing me those ugly teeth of its. Following with a rapier-like jab, I put some distance between us, and charged for another "Sonic Leap."

"Take care of the last one!" I shouted as I sprinted forward. Through the blurred vision, I caught sight of the girl bouncing on the balls of her feet as she eyed the monster. I slashed my opponent with no wasted effort, resulting in the polygons drifting away. As I turned around, I saw the female player handling it pretty well. She performed a four move combo called "Hourglass" and slashed in a figure eight like pattern. After that was taken care of, I walked up to her and handed her a crystal.

"Hey, good job!" I grinned. She looked up at me, eyes uncertain.

"T-Thanks for saving me." She mumbled. "I'm sorry for causing you trouble." She took the crystal and hung her head, depressed. I inspected her (no, not checking her out, inspected). She had raven black hair that was put into a plain loose braid. She was wearing some armor crafted from steel that had copper shoulder pads with a dark green cloak along with tough wolf hide boots. She looked around 15, my age. I grinned and ruffled her hair, causing her to look up in surprise.

"Psh, no problem. And it looked kinda unfair, I mean, monsters bullying a poor defenseless female player? My, a man like me just had to help." I teased, trying to create a more relaxed atmosphere. The girl bristled when I said defenseless and suddenly a steely glare was pointed my way.

"Look, I appreciate your help, but I ain't defenseless! Who are you anyway?" She snapped. I smirked. 'Ain't?' So she had an accent.

"Kirito, at your service, m'aam." I bowed deeply, in a mocking matter which had her grab my ear and twist it. "O-Ow ow ow ow ow!" I whined. When she let go, I glared. "Don't go twisting your savior's ear uh...what's your name?"

Finally, she smiled. Goal accomplished. "Jyques. Nice to meet you, Kirito-kun." She held out a hand. I accepted it and shook it, the other hand treating my tender ear. Even though I couldn't really feel much pain, it was...uncomfortable. She gave me a sheepish glance as she saw me rub my ear. "Um, not to be nosy or anything, but why did you help me? 'Cause...normally, people don't wanna help me, ya know?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Why shouldn't I have helped you? One player against, like, 20 monsters. I do think in that situation it's fair to say a passerby like me should lend a hand. Alright, come on, lets talk more after we get to town. I don't want to attract another hundred gnomes and turtles." I smiled and took her by the elbow and gently tugged her towards the exit.

"W-wait! You can't just help me though, it's...do you even know who I am?" She put her arms on her hips. "I'm even a solo player!" I sighed. Jyques was making this quite complicated. I turned and faced her, my eyes serious, containing a sharp light.

"Look, honestly, I didn't want to help you. I convinced myself I shouldn't need to help you, that you weren't my problem. However, whether you are my responsibility or not is not the issue. I don't even care if you're solo. So am I." Her eyes widened at that. "I just couldn't help myself. I reacted without thinking, ok? Lets just go to a small lodge and talk in town. Then you can tell me why I shouldn't have helped you and should've left you to the mercy of evil monster gnomes surrounding you." This time, she had no response, but merely nodded.

"Ok..." Our trek to town was silent, except for the virtual world's breeze gently sweeping the grass stalks. On the way, I thought about how many other players were solo. This was the first one I met, to be honest. The others were all party-switchers, players who weren't in a guild but would switch from party to party every couple of weeks. Maybe I should travel in a party? Nah, I didn't deserve to have companions backing me up.

As we reached town, I silently guided Jyques to the inn I was staying at. "Do you have a room yet?" I asked. She shook her head and I gave her a teasing hopeless sigh. "My my, alright. I'll pay for a room for you."

"No, i-it's fine. I have money." She stopped my hand from bringing up my inventory menu.

"You sure?" She nodded.

After she got a room, I took her to a small cafe lodge. "I heard the cheese soup here was really good." I grinned. She gave a small smile back and ordered a small meat pie. As we waited for our food, an awkward silence passed between us.

"You know...I'm...er..." She mumbled something and I strained forward to hear.

"What?" Her face flushed and she looked away before opening her mouth again.

"I'm a beater. A beta tester and cheater." What? My eyes widened in shock.

"R-really now?" I stumbled upon my words a bit. So there were other beaters. Well, I already guessed that, I suppose, but never thought much about other beaters. Until now.

"Yeah. Which is another reason, if you get what I mean. I used to be from the "Army." Then, as you can probably guess, I accidentally revealed some unusual info, and they kicked me out." I stared in disbelief. She caught my expression and gave a depressed sigh. "You probably want to get out and away from me now, huh? Or swing an uppercut at me." I couldn't help it. Deliver an uppercut blow? I burst out laughing.

"Hahaha, honestly? I don't really care...Haha...I'm a beater as well." I gave her a huge grin while laughing. "But if you want I"ll give you an uppercut." This time, Jyques was the one gawking wide-eyed. Then, she gave a big genuine smile.

"You know, I don't think I've ever felt so relieved in my life." She laughed. As our food arrived, we dove in. My cheese soup tasted different from the real world's. It had a strange muskier taste, and the veggies were strangely sweet, but it was good. "Who would've guessed? So how'd you get kicked out?" I stopped eating an glanced up, and I could feel my lips slowly twitching down and losing its smile. How I got kicked out? I recalled before, when I was remembering that moment while killing the monsters. Suddenly, I felt myself at a loss of words. I don't understand how Jyques was able to explain her past so simply. Seeing my hesitation, Jyques frowned. "Um, it's fine if you don't want to tell me. I guess it's pretty hard, huh?"

I bit my lip. I felt cowardly. "No, no, it's ok. Well, have you ever heard of Diabel?" Jyques nodded, and leaned forward, interested. "Well he grouped up a bunch of players for the first boss battle. I decided to join. All was going pretty well, until Diabel decided to take on the boss and finish it off. He was also a beta tester, but he did what I couldn't; take care of the other players and lead them on. He thought the attack pattern of the boss was already known, but in the split second when he attacked, I saw the boss quickly change from what we expected. He pulled out a different weapon than the beta test, and finished Diabel. I tried to help him, I warned him, and later gave him a crystal, but he refused it. And so I stood up and finished off the boss, revealing to everyone else I was a beta tester."

"So you were categorized on the first level? That...oh, I'm sorry. I suppose that also means you're the first beater 'created', huh?" I gave a bitter smile. Seeing my unhappiness, Jyques stammered on. "Uh, w-well, how about, since we're both beaters, we uh, form a party?! How bout it?" I sharply lifted my head, staring. A party? Of two solo beaters...I slowly smiled.

**As I promised, my replies to the anonymous reviews (whether they are still reading this story or not, idk)**

**Guest: Thank you so much for reviewing, first of all. I'm glad an experienced writer like you read mine :D haha and thanks for the criticism, ur actually one of the few ppl who have read my writing that actually gave me real advice. And now my reply to ur advice- My stories are generally pretty cliche when its fanfiction, just cuz im into that stuff when it has to do with my favorite characters, so i apologize for that. Also, i will try to put more stuff in the beginning without making it sound like filling up space :P if you could PM me with some examples or help, Id love that. and to the short first chapter, well i explained that at the top. i will try to change what i already have to make it more detailed and longer. **

**Aryiel- Thanks for reviewing! Thats all i can really say :P **

**Oh i just thought of something, if Kirito seems OOC, im sorry. I have my own fantasies of him in my mind, like, i thought he was upset about being called a beater, despite provoking on purpose, since he is kinda emotional (not sure if thats the word, but ya kno), but he has a very good poker face, and puts out an irritatingly calm expression.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm back! Not dead, and I am seriously just so...sorry. IF anyone's still watching this story that is... '^' I give you permission to kill me and beat me to pulp then revive me and do it all over again. Just promise me you'll give me a tranquilizer or something ^^; But seriously, I just got too caught up in school and clubs and stuff O.O I am terribly sorry! Btw, if anyone here has an Apple product with the Anime Amino app, PM me for my username! .**

My eyelids fluttered for a moment, and I let out a sigh. As the light hit me and made me wince, I slowly kicked away the covers, laying there for a moment. I looked around, trying to figure out what woke me up. Knock knock came the noise again, from my door. Oh, right.

"Come in!" I let out a slow moan. Jyques came in, with her hands on her hips, pouting, as she glared upon me on my bed. She was all dressed and ready to go. I glanced at the time: 9:13 am. Oops...

"Kirito-kun, you're late." She stated in an icy matter. I gave a sheepish smile.

"Gomen, gomen, I'll make up for it somehow, promise." I scratched my head, thinking. "I'll give you my first 3 drops, ok?" After a moment of silence, she slowly smiled.

"Alright, but it better be something good! And not the monster drops, like it's pelt or stuff, the weapons or clothing, that kinda stuff! Got it?" I sighed in a depressing matter. Just watch me get some perfect sword, heavy and dark. Then I'll have to give it away. But, I nodded, since I shouldn't irritate my party member too much, right?

"Ok, lets go now!" I tried to give a cheery impression, but it sounded half-hearted. I equipped my sword, and headed for the door, until Jyques voice stopped me.

"Do you actually sleep in your battle garments?" She sounded...weirded out. I averted my eyes and mumbled a quick "yes" before quickly leaving, but not before hearing a short giggle.

"Okay, switch with me now, Kirito-kun!" Jyques panted, then blocked the "Golem" to give me a chance to slip in. Without wasting a step, I zig zagged through its swipes and with a quick snap of my wrist, thrust my blade through its chest. It shattered into polygons quickly. "You have picked up a Flame Cloak." My eyes lit up. These things, if haggled correctly, could get you quite the amount of Col. They also helped defend you from monsters using flame. I was about to take it out to look at it, but a shoulder tap interrupted me.

"Uh uh uh, mine now, remember?" Jyques smirked, reaching her hand out. I gaped for a minute.

"You aren't serious, are you? It's a Flame Cloak!" I protested, but Jyques just rolled her eyes and beckoned with her fingers more.

"You only gave me one item so far, and they were a pair of boring socks. You owe me 2 more, so cough it up, Kirito-kun!" She declared happily, and I reluctantly used my inventory setting to mail it over.

"Ugh. Lets move on." We were currently pretty deep in the dungeon and were seeing more traps now. However, we havn't sprung any, since we were...beaters. Suddenly, a narrow side corridor appeared on the right. I peeked through, and saw a line of huge bug monsters roaming around. At the end, was a door.

"That's definitely the boss room." Jyques whispered from behind. I nodded.

"Lets go. I want to see what the boss is like before leaving. Do you have throwing knives and good accuracy?" Jyques nodded. "Do that while I'm fighting until we switch since there are too many in such a narrow space. Just don't hit me." Jyques gave a laugh and shook her head.

"Don't worry! Go on, crush those beetles." She pushed me forward, and I smiled before drawing my sword again. The closest beetle turned, the system sending it warning signals. It twitched its wings and pincers, before disappearing in a flash. I grimaced, but stayed put, waiting for a flash of its shell. It landed behind me and reached out to bite, but I ducked and fell back, before thrusting into it deeply. However, it didn't disperse into polygons like I expected. Instead, it just...continued trying to try to reach me. I glanced at its HP and noticed it was barely a quarter down.

"Jyques! These things have a lot of HP, but are easy to dodge!" I quickly informed, and heard a faint reply. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that she had changed her throwing knives to sharper ones, some even dipped in poison. I quickly slashed at the current beetle, but attracted another in doing so. As it "bled" and fell back, I quickly fended off the charging beetle and kicked it from underneath, and with a simple upwards stroke, beheaded it. This time, in one strike, it burst into polygons. So the head was the weak spot.

I quickly activated a skill, Meteor Break. Although mine wasn't perfected, its speed and variety was better and most likely quicker to end the fight. Up, down, side punch, jab, kick, uppercut, thrusting grab. Done. After taking down 3 more, I yelled "Switch!" Broadswords seemed better for this kind of stuff, and Jyques's was almost as long as the hallway wide, so she could just behead repeatedly. I chopped off one's pincers, and leaped back, letting Jyques in.

Boom. I should've just let Jyques take the lead role from the very beginning, I thought, watching in somewhat admiration and respect as Jyques took precise-wide but not too wide-swings, clearing a path as if she was just brushing away grass stalks. She didn't even need to activate any Skills, her sword and swordsmanship were just that magnificent. I noted how her sword always seemed to gleam, never taking a scratch or even a blood stain. It wasn't even 20 minutes before the fight-if you could even call it that- was over.

"Nice, Jyques." I gave her a thumbs up, and she put on a joking look or arrogance.  
"Psh, naturally." She laughed. We headed to the doors, and upon our approach, the huge panels of rock flew open automatically. A torch was lit, then another and another, each one lighting up after the previous. However, the room seemed empty.

"Where's the boss...?" Jyques whispered nervously. Suddenly, I noticed a faint scratch noise and turned my head towards that direction, but still saw nothing. Then, I saw it: a wavering outline that could barely be noticed, hovering in the back.

"I think that's it...it seems invisible, in the back." I squinted a little harder, trying to make out its shape. "It looks like a ghost, wait no-more of like a cross between a wraith and a crab. It has these weird pincer things. Or maybe they're axes...Um-"

"Okay, Kirito-kun, just stop talking. Yea, I see what you mean. I think those are axes." Jyques sighed, but it was soon taken over by a frown. "Should we go in? Investigate? It's only the 12th floor so there has to be some kind of trick to his invisibility." I thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Lets get our teleportation crystals out just in case though." Jyques nodded, and we cautiously stepped in.

"Frrrawk! Clommmmirk!" Instantly, we were surrounded by tons of shrieks and noises. It was as if there were billions of other monsters in here, like the silence from before never existed.

"Holy- lord...ugh!" Jyques cursed and taking some precautions, swung her blade wildly before checking with her "sight" skill to see how many monsters were in here. "...Zero...! There's only the boss...no one else." She sounded flabbergasted. "Kirito-kun, I got myself a feeling this boss 'ere ain't normal." She muttered.

"It's fine." I plastered on a smiled, but I, too, was worried. "There's always a catch, the monster can't be so invincible on level 12, can it? We can follow it by looking at it's object classification and HP bar, so it isn't totally invisible. Here, we should take a swing to see what happens." I carefully took aim, and when my target settings were at its best, I flung a throwing pick. It headed straight for home, but as I stared, the HP bar suddenly disappeared and my pick bounced off the stone wall.

"...There it is!" Jyques suddenly pointed out. "It's really fast and good at dodging," she noted with an uncertain look.

"Then we'll make it hard for it to dodge and run. Lets keep trying, but keep your guard up, just until we land one hit so we can get more info. Then we'll run out the door." I declared. Jyques slowly nodded, and crouching slightly, we loaded up our picks and fired continuously, like a Metal Storm gun. The boss dodged them continuously, flickers of its HP bar leaving tiny trails. There was still a variety of sounds surrounding us, but we soon realized that was the boss as it slithered everywhere at the speed of light. Finally, there was a ping and an image flickered to view. It was a wraith monster, with huge crab pincers. Pincers...  
"Aha! Jyques, I was right! It wasn't an axe, it was a pincer!" I crowed victoriously as Jyques stared wide-eyed, slightly gawking in disbelief. The boss really was a cross between a wraith and crab. However, I cleared my thoughts, after all, I have better moments to brag about this moment.

"Crwwwaax!" The monster gurgled a strange noise, and lashed out. Its speed certainly hadn't decreased. However, it stayed visible and when I eyed the HP bar, I almost stood gaping. That one little pick had knocked down a tenth of its HP already. This would be a simple conquer.

"Kirito-kun, lets go!" Jyques yelled excitedly, and we both hurried for the door, somehow beating the boss to our escape route.

"Huh...huh...huh...Did you see that?" I said with, somehow, energy. "The boss's HP, it's really low! We just have to hit it once and attack a lot to keep its speed at bay and it'll be simple as pie!"

"Y-yeah!" Jyques panted, but there was a smile. "I never thought it'd be that simple...well lets go find Heathcliff."

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We had miscalculated.

**DUN DUN DUNNNN! What's gonna happen? IDK cuz i havn't written it yeeeett! haha jk, I got it all ready and will update in 2 weeks or a little before/after. And you can actually trust this promise because I have written it in advance ^^ Actually, I skipped like 10 of my original scenes between this and the 2nd chapter, since it just didn't really fit in. You know how I told you that I had already prewritten a lot of it so I was trying to separate it into chapters? Yea, well the 2nd chapter wasn't originally supposed to end that scene but hey, it worked better so..heh...**

**Suggestions? I'll take 'em all. Can't promise I'll follow through with them but I will try to do the ones that I like ^^ also, any advice or criticism is appreciated. Just no flaming, hating, etc please. It's discouraging xD **


	4. Chapter 4

**Well! It has been about 2 weeks, and if more then I am sorry :( But i think i kept my promise pretty well ^^ I hope you all enjoy! and MWAHAHAHAHA a new OC might come up...hint hint ;) of course, if you have an OC you'd like me to put in the story, tell me and I'll sleep on it. no guarantees tho! ^^; Btw, I probably won't update for a bit (i know i know, youre probably all like "again? u beyotch Lolly, after ditching this story for so long!") but this time i actually i have a reason! I wont be able to write it out since im pretty dead sick with a fever, and I just remembered late last night to actually update my stories and then today to update this one :( if you dont believe my stupid sickness i can go take a video of me all dizzy due to headaches while walking towards my bathroom xD lol true story, although you probably dont want that video -_-" **

**PS! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR! I LOVE YOU ALL! EXCEPT FOR A FEW EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE WHO ARE HATERS ETC! lol i WAS gonna mention trollers, but there are a few trollers ive met who are pretty cool xD when not trolling you anyway lol**

_recap:_

_We had miscalculated._

Yes, the HP was low, yes, once it was hit it was forever visible, and yes, attacking repeatedly kept its speed somewhat at bay, but it still managed to attack. And when it did, it could kill a player in less than 3 blows. Even worse, its attention was not easily diverted, when it focused on a player it would keep going until that player was dead.

That's what happened to Jyques.

"Alright, Jyques! You hit it! Now we can all see!" I grinned and patted Jyques, who smiled proudly. Immediately, the huge party unleashed a wave of attacks. The boss, who we soon learned was called "Crabby Wraith," (I was not amused) slithered precisely between the attacks, and before Jyques could even gawk, it swung its pincer down and the blow sent her flying.

"Jy-" I didn't even finish the name before it zipped forwards and opening its pincer, sliced the beater, my party member, my friend, in half. "-ques..." The name was left trailing from my mouth. "J-Jyques...no..." My eyes widened and I felt a choking sensation, as if I was going to cry. I didn't, of course, because right after the choking sensation was a wave of fury, rage, and frustration. First Sachi, now Jyques. First my whole frikin party, now Jyques. No. No, no, no! "Horizontal...Square!" I dove for the boss, I didn't care if it would dodge me or slash me open or- I didn't care. If it was faster, then I'd run. If it was stronger, then I would fight. I wasn't going to stop-I'd tear down the whole building if needed-until that..."Crabby Wraith" was gone and floating away in a million different shapes and sizes.

"Uwahhhhhhhhh HAH!" I landed a blow, a second, then a third, and the final fourth. The HP bar dropped on mine and its. It lunged, hammered, flailed, but I countered. It was strange, but for a moment it seemed like my movements were fluid and filled with grace, like I was dancing. Like...the Asuna girl. However, the brief trace of her was soon replaced by Jyques twisting my ear, Jyques stealing my Flame Cloak, Jyques eating that meat pie, Jyques dying.

"It's the Swordsman in Black! Go Kirito!" I heard a member down below cheer. I hardly heard anyone, finishing with a Sonic Leap and landing onto the ground panting, kneeling, and shuddering from fatigue. But I smiled slightly, because I was satisfied. I stared at the ceiling as I flopped down, my body finally feeling the burden. Tiny sparkles that I knew were the familiar drifting polygons were floating about, as if resisting the system to disappear. I could tell that was Jyques. They hovered above me for a moment, shuddered, then finally left, as she did die.

"Congratulations, you have cleared Floor 12." A monotone voice spoke as a panel opened up in front of us with the same exact words written on it. Everyone cheered. Except me, but I wasn't sure if it was due to fatigue or the rage of Jyques death. Then, quieter, the voice came of me. "Kirito, as the defeater of the boss, you have gained enough experience to reach level 28, as well as earned yourself a 'Raskovnik' and a 'Flame Cloak.'" I froze. A Flame Cloak? Was this thing kidding with me? Was it trying to provoke me? I opened my inventory and took out the Flame Cloak. As I fingered it, I wasn't sure whether to throw it on the ground in anger, or give it a bittersweet smile. I had a feeling this was the cloak I had given to Jyques. I don't know how I knew that, but I just felt it.

I looked upwards as a hand extended to me. "Come on, get up Mr. Swordsman in Black." A female gave a gentle smile, as if reading my mood. "Good job out there, although I'm pretty sure why you went on a rampage like that." I slowly nodded. "Name's Valeax, FYI." Valeax...

**HAHA! a new OC appears xD lol like I said, CRITICIZE ME, ADVISE ME, SUGGEST THINGS TO ME (EVEN OCs), I APPRECIATE IT! just dont flame and hate ^^ Once again, merry x-mas and a happy new year! Unless you celebrated Hanukkah...then happy late hanukkah to that :P Btw if you're wonderin why this chapter was shorter than the others, i think it's because it's the ending to this arc ^^ of my fanfic, that is. SAO FTW!**


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